


Means, Motive, and Opportunity

by quiet__tiger



Category: The Avengers (2012)
Genre: Established Relationship, M/M, Sexsomnia
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-01-15
Updated: 2013-01-15
Packaged: 2017-11-25 14:20:49
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,369
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/639760
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/quiet__tiger/pseuds/quiet__tiger
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Tony doesn't mind being woken up. Until the truth comes out. And even then he's okay with it, though Steve isn't.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Means, Motive, and Opportunity

Tony was drawn out of dreamland—something about an assignment that was due that he hadn’t yet started—by a large hand stroking down his chest. Fingers covering the arc reactor created shadows on the wall across from his night table, only for the light to show full force once the hand drifted down over his stomach. The hand slipping inside his boxers was accompanied by a slight grunt from behind him, then the press of Steve’s long body against his back.

And his erection poking against Tony’s ass.

Middle of the night or not, Tony wasn’t going to turn down sex, so he rolled over to give Steve better access. Minutes later and Tony was being blown within an inch of his life, not that Steve hesitated any more. After he came, Steve swallowing everything, Tony returned the favor, eager to give as good as he’d gotten.

Orgasm and happy sigh complete, Steve rolled back over to go to sleep. Something about the lack of any conversation confused Tony; it was both extremely hot that they could give and take from each other without words being necessary, but also unlike Steve.

Mentally shrugging and not pushing his luck, Tony drifted back to sleep, one hand pressed to Steve’s bare back.

~*~

A few weeks later Tony was again woken by Steve groping him, this time fingers kneading his ass and pressing against him, trying to get inside. “Give me a minute there, Steve, or it’s going to hurt.” Tony fished lube and a condom out of his night table and helped Steve prep him, erratic thoughts over where his boxers wound up forgotten once Tony was on his stomach with Steve working his cock inside of him.

Tony raised himself up on his knees so he could jerk himself off while Steve ground into him, his usual finesse replaced by sheer need. Tony could work with that, definitely; he didn’t need Steve to always be so careful with him.

After Steve came—hand gripping Tony’s hip tightly enough to bruise, which was just the way he liked it—he pulled out and dropped down next to Tony. Tony flipped himself onto his back to jerk himself to completion, scent of sex and Steve sharper and more enticing in the darkness illuminated only by the arc reactor.

Once finished, Tony looked back over to Steve, who’d fallen back asleep already without taking the condom off. Grimacing, Tony cleaned himself up then Steve, making sure nothing remained to make Steve uncomfortable in the morning. He even tugged his pajama pants up for him. Steve was smiling slightly, as if he knew of Tony’s careful ministrations.

 

~*~

While never a regular thing, Steve reaching for Tony in the darkness was frequent enough that it was no longer a total surprise. Tony felt flattered; usually he was the one initiating things at awkward times with his partners, but clearly Steve wanted _him_.

~*~

Being Iron Man meant Tony did a lot of battling, which meant occasionally he also did a lot of falling and being a target and being bruised. Being an Avenger meant there was even more falling and targeting and bruising, and that sometimes he’d crawl into bed sore and cranky and in need of uninterrupted sleep to hopefully make the aches heal themselves a bit while he was unconscious.

Which was why after today’s battle, which involved Iron Man getting bounced around buildings like a pinball as his suit malfunctioned and he couldn’t engage the repulsors, the last thing he needed was Steve touching him. Anywhere. For any reason other than to administer IcyHot or Bengay.

So Tony being woken up by a grabby hand only made him crankier. He pushed back as he mumbled, “Not now.” The hand kept going, skating down over his bruised back and over his hip and up to his stomach, fingertips stroking the patch of hair right above his sleep pants. “No, Steve.”

The hand trailed up to Tony’s chest, brushing lightly over the arc reactor, and this time Tony grabbed it and flung Steve’s arm away. “No.”

He felt Steve roll over onto his other side, and Tony felt guilty but really not. Steve should know better than to touch him when he was blue and purple.

~*~

Tony was woken hours later by the scent of bacon filling up his bedroom; the grease smelled both disgusting and heavenly at the same time. “JARVIS, windows.” The windows’ opacity decreased enough to let in warm morning light without too much glare.

He stretched carefully as he let his brain warm up to face the day, wincing as his stiff joints protested. He needed to line the inside of his suit with bubble wrap or something, only he’d probably wind up suffocating on it somehow.

As Tony gingerly sat up, Steve came into the room carrying coffee, wearing only his Star Wars pajama bottoms. Episodes Four, Five, and Six had been mandatory viewing for him, and he’d loved them as Tony knew he would, long before he knew more intimate details about the man.

Steve smiled easily, and said, “Sorry, would have brought the coffee sooner but I had to fight Clint for bacon for you. I had to explain what color your back was for him to finally relent, and by then the coffee was gone and I had to make more. Nice roommates, right?”

Tony stared. Steve didn’t seem at all apologetic for groping him last night. But then again should he? He was no doubt only trying to express his concern. Should Tony apologize for shoving him away so roughly? He’d been exhausted and slightly disoriented, though, which wasn’t the right mood for confirmation-of-safety sex.

Shrugging slightly to himself, Tony thanked Steve for bringing him breakfast and ate his bacon and oatmeal with raisins, amused by the little flower in a vase Steve had put on his tray. Steve joined him with his own breakfast, eaten over his lap, and considering Steve was pretty much a permanent fixture, Tony really needed to get another lap tray.

As he tried to remove the tray and get out of bed, Steve held him back. “Let me do it. I can’t imagine how much you must hurt right now. That suit needs some padding on the inside.”

Smiling faintly, Tony didn’t protest as Steve mothered him. “I was thinking the same thing, but I don’t think it’d be practical. And if I hurt your feelings last night I didn’t mean to, but there was no way I was going to manage in this shape.”

“Hurt my feelings with what?” Steve collected Tony’s coffee mug and made to go out the door.

Even though it would mean delaying the coffee, Tony continued, “You know, for pushing you away.”

Steve finally turned to him, looking confused. “Pushing me away when?”

“Last night. Four-ish. When you wanted to do stuff.”

“Stuff? Like… sex stuff?” They really needed a sexier code word. Just so long as it wasn’t _fondue_.

“…Yeah?”

“I didn’t touch you last night other than to make sure you were comfortable before turning off the light.”

Frowning, Tony said, “But you started rubbing me, groping me like you do when I’m asleep to wake me up. And I pushed you…away…” The gears in Tony’s brain were clicking together towards an unpleasant explanation.

“I groped you and rubbed you in your sleep?”

“You have lots of times. And all the other times have led to sex, in the dark, never talking, just enjoying each other and being there for each other.”

Steve’s healthy complexion paled. “I’ve never initiated sex with you in the middle of the night. It’s hard enough to get you into bed to sleep; why would I interrupt what I so painstakingly convince you to do?”

“But you do.”

“I don’t remember that!”

Knowing he was right, Tony said carefully, “Well then you’re pretty damn good at fucking me in your sleep.”

“ _What?_ ”

“You must have been asleep all those times. It would explain the lights being off, the silence, the way you always seemed to just pass out right after you pulled your pajamas back up. You were never even awake.” Damn Tony and his utter irresistibility.

“That’s… Oh my god, I molest you in your sleep.” Looking mortified for the first time in a long time, Steve leaned against the wall and slid down it to sit, as if he were trying to get as far away from Tony as he could without actually leaving the room. He tried to make himself small in a way that had been impossible since the ‘40s. “I thought I was done being a deviant.”

“Hey now, partner,” Tony slowly eased himself from underneath the sheets so he could go to Steve, “who said anything about molesting? Or being deviant? Other than last night, I was an eager and willing participant.” He cut Steve off when he started to open his mouth. “And I thought you were awake, so I didn’t do anything untoward to you. Expressing interest in me doesn’t make you some sort of delinquent.” Kinda, sorta.

Carefully crouching and then sitting in front of Steve, Tony continued, “So we’re fine. I’m fine if you’re fine.”

“I am not fine. What if I didn’t stop? What if I was so intent on getting what my reptile brain wanted that I kept going, didn’t listen to you protesting?”

“I’m not exactly a dainty waif over here. Some part of my struggles would have woken you up, plus the light coming on as I ordered JARVIS to send for help.”

“But…”

“But nothing. Sometimes people do weird things when they sleep. When I was a kid I’d sleepwalk all over the house. Scared the crap out of people if they saw me. Other people do weirder things.” Tony didn’t mention a former conquest who’d talked in her sleep, both because it would make Steve uncomfortable and also because Tony had used the information she’d babbled to undercut her company’s designs for a future trade show. He also didn’t mention that at least sleep sex was better than nightmares. He and Steve had woken each other up with more than a few of those.

Looking miserable, Steve said softly, “But I could hurt you, so easily; I do it enough as it is. I could really violate you. And how could I live with you or myself then?”

“It won’t come to that. Your reptile brain is capable of more than being a horny bastard. You listened last night and you will again, especially if I wake you up.” Tony reached for Steve’s hand, the one not clutching Tony’s coffee mug in a knuckle-whitening grip, and laced their fingers together. “Besides, if I did need outside help, it would likely come in the form of Natasha, Clint, or Bruce, and I’m pretty sure neither of us wants to explain the situation to them. Or god forbid Thor is staying over and slams through the walls with that damn hammer.”

“That would be… None of that is good.”

“So don’t worry about it. If you get frisky, believe me when I say I’m all for it, and if I’m not, I’ll tell you no and you’ll stop. You’ve never made me do something I don’t want to do.” Steve looked at him flatly, then raised an eyebrow. “Okay, except sleep, eat, stop working, shower, go to meetings, um, let Fury have the direct phone number, uh… Why do people say you’re good for me again? You make me do all these things I don’t want to do.”

“Because you need to do them. You can’t just be in your workshop or Bruce’s lab all the time. And food is good. And so is sleep.” Steve wrinkled his nose. “And the showers are not just for your personal benefit.”

“You’re thinking about how I should take one now, aren’t you? The lovely scent of topical analgesics has finally taken over the divine combined aroma of bacon and coffee.” Tony tried to stand, but his legs were locked in an unfortunate position for his damaged body. “Help me up, then help me shower. I can’t reach the tough spots.”

“As if you needed an excuse to make use of that ridiculous open space you call a shower.”

Wiggling his eyebrows as Steve helped him up, Tony said, “I’ve never heard you complain about the extra showerheads. Nothing but full body coverage for Tony Stark and his partner.”

“Whatever, Tony.” That was Steve’s exasperated tone, the one where he was barely refraining from reminding Tony that as a kid he had to walk in the snow every day to school, uphill both ways.

“And don’t get freaked out, but once I’m all lathered I want you to pick up where you left off last night in your sleep.”

Steve froze, pleasant mood all gone. “But—”

“Come on. We’ll both get over it, have some fun, and we’ll be fine.”

“If you’re—”

“I’ve never been more sure of anything in my life.” That was perhaps a lie, but it did make Steve roll his eyes and smile a bit. Score one for Tony.

The shower was pleasant, even more so once the hot water loosened Tony up and he was able to bend all of his joints the proper way. Add in one guilty super soldier trying to make up for what was totally not his fault, and Tony left the bathroom feeling damn good and pleased with himself.

~*~

The sleep sex didn’t stop, and Tony didn’t want it to. He just took to waking Steve up and making sure he was okay with continuing. He usually was, and silent—or not—sex lit only by the arc reactor and its glow reflecting in Steve’s eyes was even hotter than it had been before.

And if the predicament led to some awkward Avengers away missions, everyone camped out in each other’s space as Steve’s hands wandered around Tony, well, Tony tried hard to keep Steve grounded, no matter how much Clint snickered and Bruce looked embarrassed enough for everyone.

They were clearly just jealous Tony got more when asleep than they ever did awake.


End file.
